Misty, First of all, THANK YOU, for this post. It was very much needed! You have penned the frustrations and concerns of all of the viewers brilliantly. I hope that this post will help to get our message across and that the creators pay heed to what we are attempting to convey to them.
I don't even know where to begin with my frustration.
I rarely watch serials, and NEVER have I watched a BT serial before. When I was first told about KDM, I was adamant in my decision not to watch it, simply because it was a BT serial, and I had heard literal horror stories from BT 'fans', about the things that they do to their plots, characters, and - the audience. I didn't want to get into it. But I was told, time and again - for over a month, mind you - that no - this time it was different - that for once, BT seemed to have embarked on something good - I was told that it was surprising to see something so wonderful come out of the BT camp. So finally, I gave in and started watching the show, and I must say, I had to put my foot in my mouth, because they were right.
The show was exquisite and I was taken aback that for once, I wasn't seeing the same saas-bahu khit pit that was so characteristic of BT soaps. I wasn't seeing sibling rivarly, and all the other time-tested formulas. Instead, the story was simple, and fresh, and stood for something more than just what was seen at face value. Like you have pointed out, it stood for our values and culture, had something to say about family ties and a love that was rooted deeply in a mutual sense of understanding that needed no words. There was a beautiful innosense to the show...one that took everyone by surprise.
Everything from the idea of going back to your roots after living abroad for so many years, to the amount of culture that was instilled in the children though they grew up abroad, to the bond between the sisters, and the responsibility that the youth of the family assumed - which is
rarely seen depicted these days at all. It was all so refreshing compared to the other things we have always seen...the show had its own charm to it that just drew you in.
It is sad to say this charm has been lost. I find that I am now kicking myself for giving in and watching the show at all. I knew that what I heard about and saw in the show in the beginning was too good to be true - I should have known that it was just a matter of time before BT ripped the show up from the roots.
Initially it was the simplicity and the sweet love story that drew me in. There was a freshness to it. Here were two people, worlds apart yet so in tune, that they simply understood each other - without having to say it...and all becuase they were meant to be one. It was the chemistry - one that needed no verbalization, that left me mesmerized. I had never seen such a story executed so beautifully, so brilliantly. It was undoubtedly the vision of Mr. Gary Bhinder and his creative team back then, and I have to give them their due for taking something so simple, and making it even more beautiful by playing on that simplicity and not screaming from rooftops or doing anything over the top to prove a point. The story was new, fresh, and
subtle, yet it carried a message that warmed the heart.
The show will never have those days back, and I think we as an audience have stopped expecting it. It would be idiocy on our parts to do so. However, we are not so foolish to just accept any crap that is dished out either. As you've mentioned Misty - the audience has changed, and the same old time tested formulas simply
do not work anymore. More-so because BT has used these same ploys again and again - and we're tired of seeing it.
Especially now - with the same revenge - which, we still don't know a real good reason as to why - at first we were told it was some business rivalry and so RR was out to get Lalit Juneja, and now we're told that Sanjana is RRs sister so he's out to get not only Prem, but Prem's whole Family. And the main lead dying and then coming back from the dead (okay, thank you, for bringing him 'back from the dead') - with memory loss, or an identity crisis or God knows what. - I guess we can simply be thankful they didn't use the 'plastic surgery' bit.
Its really sad to think that BT is going back to its same formula when the rest of television around them has advanced so much. Speaking in terms of TRPs alone,
Desh was doing just fine, initially, when Mr. Bhinder was running the show. The TRPs were high during those magical episodes that drew in the audience and made the soap a hit from the get go - the scenes, the dialogs, the freshness had never been seen, heard, or tried before. The moment the magic of Premeer died with Prem, the TRPs plummited - and I am not at all surprised. Still, the story was carried forward, and, finally, when, THANKS TO THE DEMAND OF THE VIEWERS, the main lead was brought back, the TRPs began climbing again, ONLY becuase the viewers had an inkling of hope, that that beloved Premeer magic would be back again. When that never happened, well, I think the current state of the TRPs speaks for itself, and tells of the grave mistake the creatives have made.
Once again, the magic of
Desh was in those beautiful Premeer-are-one moments. I thank BT and the
KDM team for bringing Harshad/Prem back in the show, but this is not, in the end, what we asked for. We asked that they bring our Prem back - THE PREM that we all love and adored. I have heard that BT soaps usually revolve around the leading lady - and thus, perhaps, the plan had been from the get-go, to kill off the main lead, to showcase how the leading lady goes on afterwards and handles her own life, as well as that of her families. I think the problem here, arose in the fact that the love story from the get go was depicted so beautifully that the story, instead of belonging to the leading lady alone, belonged to Premeer - as one. Because they were one - are one...always will be - one. And so, to take that element out of the story all together would be more than detrimental. If you are going to do that, then you might as well go ahead and start wrapping up the show.
The Bottom Line Is:
If there is no Premeer, there is no Desh. I would like to think that you know that. We will not stand for some Prem look-alike - or a guy that you think you will slowly turn into 'The Prem' - because lemme tell ya - no matter how much you try, Gaurav Sharma cannot be Prem Juneja. He doesn't even come close. Even the semi-romantic moments you have attempted to depict between the two over the past few weeks don't create the same magic on screen - no matter how much Heer believes he's her Prem, no matter how much you try to tell the audience that he is Prem, that same intensity is not there.
I know that you cannot be so oblivious to the importance of Prem and Premeer-are-one in
Desh that you would risk doing away with Prem all together. I would like to beleive that Gaurav Sharma IS infact Prem, and that he is simply pretending to be GS - that he is two-timing RR, and that you are simply trying to confuse the audience. It would be in your best interest (for fear of your own already teetering TRPs, you see), for the story to go in this direction. All I ask is that that you clear up the confusion, and QUICK because as you continue this Gaurav is with RR track, you are losing more and more viewers daily.
When he first came back, a lot of us speculated that he couldn't just regain his memory like that, and that he had to still be Gaurav or still have some kind of memory loss, or not fully remember everything about his past - because the way that he miraculously remembered everything was
so very vague. But then, you yourself told us he was Prem because there he was, having flashbacks about times spent with his brothers. And now, all of the sudden, he's not Prem at all? He's Gaurav? Why the inconsistancy?
There has been, over the course of the last year, SO MUCH inconsistancy! I think one thing that kills the story again and again are all the loose ends that are left lying somewhere in the dust. All the unanswered questions that still remain. For instance, whatever happened to Dheer - Rishab's brother that was living with the Junejas? Or, if Ashlesha had the property papers for the Juneja household, and she is supposed to be all Ms. Goody-two-shoes "i'm nice now, for no reason - simply because I woke up on the other side of the bed one morning", then why hasn't she returned to the Juneja's what is rightfully theirs? And where is that mother of hers who was helping RR plot his revenge? In the case of Sanjana's death as well - if you go back and watch, when Prem was telling Heer of how Sanjana died, he told her that Kiran called him and told him that Sanjana hung herself and was found dangling by a ceiling fan. Recently, when RR was yapping away to a comatose Sanjana about her own accident, he said that everyone was told that she died in some freak car accident. If we as viewers can keep up with such small instances in the story, then why can't the people that actually write the story keep up with such things?
Apart from the inconsistancies, what has really killed the story lately, is that the characters have lost their essense - and not just Premeer - but all of them. Premeer never needed to verbalize their love - so why does Prem need to ask Heer about the depth of her love for him? Heer was always coy and shy - since when does she go around scolding Prem for a decision he makes regarding family matters? Since when does Preet stand quiet and stunned when someone speaks in an ill-toned manner with his Prem bhaiya? Where was Ram's Lakshman when Veera was accusing Prem of choosing Heer's side over her own? What happened to the understanding and the bond that existed between Heer and Meher? Why was Meher not able to see that Heer was doing what she was doing for Prem and his family - and not for some twisted fancy of her own? - When Lalit and Preet saw right through Heer's facade, why couldn't her own sister see it? Why is it, that since 'Prem' has returned, all of the characters have seemed to lose their essence - their identity?
I know that the directors, writers, creatives have been changed time and again over the course of the show, but is it really that hard for them to go back and do their research - even if only to simply keep the essence of the characters intact? It was undoubtedly the change of the team that led to the story going back to the original plan - killing off the main lead. That's fine - but, does that mean that we have to lose the identity of the characters we have come to know and love so well? Its almost sad to think where the story would be now, if the viewers hadn't demanded that you bring the main lead back at all... where would the story have gone? I can't imagine it would be any better than what we are seeing now - infact, I bet it would be even worse. It should come as no surprise that the viewers are watching the show for Premeer-are-one. So we simply ask, that you bring back Premeer-are-one. And, in the process, if you can give us the essense of all the charachters back, and, the same culture, values, tradition, magic, that the show harbored initially, well...maybe I'm asking for too much, but let me put it this way - you might see you TRPs where they used to be.
On a final note - ask yourself one thing: why do you work so hard on this show after all? Really? You know you work hard. WE know you work hard. - And not just you - your actors. If you aren't going to deliver quality entertainment then why put in all the effort? And why, for God's sake, demand it of your Actors? What's the point of putting in so much effort if at the end of the day, the fruits of your labor are barely passable? Its not only a waste of your time, but also a waste of time and talent of your actors. And in the end, its a waste of our time, as viewers.
Sorry to have to spell it out for you in this manner, but we felt something needed to be said. As avid viewers, we hope that we should be able to provide you with some constructive criticism. Not to be taken offensively, we simply want you to know where we think you are going wrong. We hope you will take heed to our comments and concerns. Lastly, thank you, for taking the time to read this. And, thank you, for all the joy you have given us through this beloved show. Congratulations, on completing one year. Wishing you success as you continue ahead.
All The Best.
An avid
Desh Viewer...
At the moment, a bit frustrated.
~Payal
Edited by IndianPari - 16 years ago
Mangal Lakshmi
Hindi TV Shows
Ishaani
